CAPRICORN(December 22 - January 19)Enjoy qualitytime with family, perhaps sharing a meal. Express the worries you may be feeling for a younger sibling. Monetary issues need your attention. Don't get carried away with spending now and you will have money for travel and entertainment later. Much deserved glory is yours. You've worked hard and as a result your professional life feels promising. Be ready when opportunity knocks. Your satisfaction in work will spill over to your married and personal life. Overall, the day seems to be pleasurable in every possible way, be it home or office.

PISCES(February 19 - March 20)You are happiest right now when you are alone, free to pursue philosophical or spiritual thoughts. You may feel a need for change, may be feeling restless. Success can be achieved if you listen to elders and take time to attend to your mental and emotional health right now. Attend to matters of love and commitment. Relationships taxing your time and money might be better off ended. You may need to devote time to sorting out your finances. Keep your goals in mind and locate the resources and people to see them through. A forceful yet gentle approach makes success possible.

SAGITTARIUS(November 22 - December 21)An opportunity to take a short journey away from home may be on the way. You may be accompanied by a caregiver or sibling. Take care to communicate effectively now, whether through email, phone or text. Being a good listener is key. Reach out to friends and even those who have been adversaries in the past. This is the moment to find common ground and work together. Networking today yields larger returns later. The way you communicate with others will determine the quality of your life. Grab any socializing opportunity, reach out to people of varied backgrounds and win friends for life!

ARIES(March 21 - April 19)A recent loss or accident may be causing you some stress. Weight current decisions carefully to avoid fraud or deception. Join a club or partake of a social event if you are feeling lonely or cut off from others. You will be a welcome addition to any party or social group. Face the fears that are holding you back. Good fortune is headed your way. A meeting or official conversation may be causing you anxiety, especially if a contract or deal is at stake. Don't worry. Everything will fit into place. Learn from your own experiences, as well as from the life lessons of others, and you will acquire new skills for success.

TAURUS(April 20 - May 20)Affairs of the heart may be complicated right now, with a relationship in peril of ending. Do what you can to salvage the connection but be ready to let go if needed. Work is richly rewarding right now, with your hard work finally being noticed. A raise or a promotion may now be yours. Closed door meetings are a possibility today. If you find yourself in trouble, rely on help offered by loved ones. This period of introspection and even stoic silence will chart the course of the future. A visit to the doctor may be needed to address health issues. Spend some time on yourself today.

CANCER(June 21 - July 22)A secret or a mistake may be weighing on you right now. Share your concerns with a trusted mentor or teacher. Engaging in vices or risky behaviors would be harmful to your health and reputation. Instead, look to spirituality and meditation, maybe even to travel, for relief and answers. You are effectively balancing work and home life concerns. Your emotions run high, both love and hate, but you feel self confident. Your driving force is your family now rather than the daily chores that seem to take up too much time. Avoid losing your temper. Anger would undo all the good work of the past few weeks.

LIBRA(September 23 - October 22)Enjoy yourself now but don't overdo it. Risky behavior could lead to injury or an accident. Disputes with professed enemies require diplomacy. Your creativity and dedication at work are visible for all to see. An elder, perhaps a grandfather, will need or offer assistance. Your work life never seemed so good as it does today. You can feel positive vibrations all around. A long desired success feels imminent. Explore new areas of interest today. With perseverance you can work your way to the top! You're refreshed and ready to dive into new goals!

AQUARIUS(January 20 - February 18)You are buoyant right now, enjoying material success. Healthy body requires a healthy food and healthy outlook. This is an ideal moment for a new project or idea that has been taking shape in your mind. Pursue that plan now while you are feel confident and supported. You want to break from routine right now and seek fresh ideas. Work may feel draining and uninspiring but stick to the tasks and responsibilities before you. Fresh dreams and inspiration are headed your way. Sometimes without leaps of imagination we lose the excitement of possibilities.

LEO(July 23 - August 22)Monetary setbacks may be a cause of stress right now. Weigh all plans and purchases carefully. If unmarried, it may be time to take the next step in your relationship. Now is an ideal time to tie up loose ends and prepare for a new phase in life. Jot down ideas as they occur to you throughout the day. Avoid being pulled mentally in too many different directions. Setting priorities and doing one thing at a time will get you the desired results. The fact that you are a good manager is made clear as you handle things with perfection both at work and at home.

VIRGO(August 23 - September 22)You may be feeling alone, surrounded by enemies engaging in small minded disputes. Ignore the competition and focus on the work at hand. Some new training or learning a new skill will serve you well. Those closest to you -- partners, spouse, clients -- are in focus. Reviving old connections assists you professionally and financially today. A positive attitude helps you attain a position you've dreamed about. Faith makes it happen. Your hard work and determination yield results. You can certainly count on a raise in both status and self image today. In any case, money and perks are more than good enough.

GEMINI(May 21 - June 20)Complications may occur before or during travel. Your managerial skills will prove useful in dealing with any complications that you face right now, at home or at work. Your ability to lead and work hard has been noticed by others and will soon be rewarded. Communicating your feelings to your significant other is paramount right now, whether through a letters\/email or physical connection. Avoid procrastination and lethargy and you will avoid costly mistakes. Playfulness is fine but set limits for yourself and don't get carried away.

SCORPIO(October 23 - November 21)Be diplomatic in your conversations with family members right now, especially parents and grandparents. Enjoy leisure time but avoid risky monetary choices, such as gambling. Just being or working outdoors should engage your creativity and spiritual side. Follow your gut. Confusion is in the air so give yourself plenty of time and space to think. Gather your facts and listen to your heart before taking the final plunge. Avoid hasty decisions and trust your instincts. They will lead you where you want to go. Wherever your heart is, that is where you'll find your treasure.

Personal Circles

I was wondering how you all do your circles, i.e., if you like to dress up for a circle or if you do a circle alone...

I, personally, like to wear a simple but nice-looking dress when I cast a circle, and since I don't have any friends, I do my circles alone. I usually like to include Spirit in my circle, as a kind of closing element, I also find it kind of boosts the energy.

So, if you want to, go ahead and talk about your circle. I love hearing how individual magicians do their work.

In my personal practice, I do it simple - it takes a couple of minutes and usually involves walking around singing a song based on what my intent is.

In my 'Coven' I use that word loosely here for a group of a practitioners, not a legitimate Coven. We take about 10 to 20 minutes to cast our circle, we set the space together, placing candles at each of the Cardinal Directions and we call to the elements and welcome them, introduce ourselves and state our intent and welcome each other in - then we actually cast the circle in a very simple way - through holding each others hands and looking into the other persons eyes - it's a lengthy process and for a very good reason.

Circle casting to works isn't just for consecrating/blessing/protecting the space - it's the Introduction to a long essay - you are getting yourself into the place and mind frame, the human mind likes to work on triggers - certain colours, words and acts trigger different states and feelings - so the point of the Circle is not just to Bless the space, but also to bring you into the mindframe for the work.

A good example is you and wearing your nice dress, it tells your Mind/body 'Right, I am wearing the special dress, I am going into this -mode-' and you become more focused on your intent.

Circles aren't always needed though - thankfully, I don't want to have to lay a full circle, call the elements and do other business for a simple work - sometimes just picking up the candle you usually use for Circles and lighting it is enough to put you into the mindset.

I don't do circles anymore as I don't really have time in my practice to do so (it's more of a thing on the fly for me), but I used to do circles.

I didn't dress up or anything. I would only settle up my altar and candles and with the four cardinal candles and the God and Goddess candles (this was when I was a solitary Wiccan) I would start to light them up calling upon them to protect the circle and "round it up" three times counterclockwise to open and clockwise to close (I'm on the Southern Hemisphere).

Considering that my main method of practice is through energy working, I only have built a circle when i was really wanting to put some intense energy behind what I was trying to accomplish. Most often I find it sufficient to do a meditation on channeling and building up positive energy and a visualization of having 'radiant light'. It was a practice I adapted from the idea of a healer developing 'radiant health', where a person becomes so healthful and practiced in connecting to healing energy that it radiates from them constantly.

When I build a circle I look to my current knowledge and understanding, instinct, intuition, and whatever tools I have on hand at the moment to connect myself with the intent. Because I recognize magic and knowledge as fluid, I build from scratch every time.

The last time I drew a circle, it was for a protective banishing. I have a cherished sword that has been anointed by my blood and dragon's blood resin, and is blessed and awakened. I was in a house basement at the time and couldn't physically draw the circle, so I stood in an open space and built it as a mental construct. Because of this I kept it a simple circle with nothing drawn inside or around it.

Instead of the tradition of calling the corners I wanted to draw on personal power and authority. So I called to the lessons of my past lives, the wisdom of my guide, the light of my higher self, and the experience of my ancestors.

At other times I have used a rawhide drum I have to center and focus. I connect very well with drums and they bring about a natural mental focus and intensity. I like to refer to it as listening to the heartbeat of the earth. Again I tend to keep things simple and direct by just making a simple one line circle. Sometimes I will draw a dragon's eye as well. It was one of the first sigils I learned so it became my go-to for representing external energy gathered into one point. Either way I just sit in the center, hit out a constant beat, close my eyes, and listen until I can feel the beat through my body.